What is Abetone Cutigliano known for?

Around 50 kilometers of pistes across Val di Luce and Doganaccia, the oldest organized ski resort in the central Apennines (1937). 1952 Olympic downhill gold medalist, born in Cutigliano in 1920, who learned to ski on the slopes above the village. Two stone obelisks of 1778 marking the historic border between the Granducato di Toscana and the Ducato di Modena.

Where is Abetone Cutigliano?

Abetone Cutigliano is a comune in the province of Pistoia, Tuscany region of Italy, about 65 kilometers from Prato.

Tuscany · Pistoia

Abetone Cutigliano

The Apennine ski pass at 1,388 meters where the Granduca's two stone pyramids of 1778 mark the old Tuscan-Modenese border.

1388m

Elevation

65 km / 40 mi

Nearest hub (Prato)

1,825

Population

Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Abetone sits at 1,388 meters on the watershed of the Apennines, where Tuscany meets Emilia-Romagna at the pass of the same name. The merged commune, created in 2017 when Abetone and Cutigliano were joined, runs from 678 meters at Cutigliano up to 1,940 at the summit of Libro Aperto. The two stone pyramids on the pass, the Piramidi del Granduca, were erected in 1778 to mark the border between the Granduchy of Tuscany and the Duchy of Modena after the Brennero road through the pass was opened. The ski area runs about 50 kilometers of slopes across Val di Luce and Doganaccia, the oldest organized ski resort in the central Apennines, established in 1937. Zeno Colò, the 1952 Olympic downhill gold medalist, was born in Cutigliano in 1920 and grew up on these slopes. The lower village of Cutigliano keeps a Palazzo Pretorio of 1377 with the coats of arms of fourteenth-century podestà set into the façade.

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Known for

Piramidi del Granduca
Two stone obelisks erected in 1778 on the Abetone pass, marking the border between Granducato di Toscana and Ducato di Modena.
Val di Luce
Open glacial valley above Abetone with the main ski lift system, around 50 kilometers of pistes shared with Doganaccia.
Palazzo Pretorio di Cutigliano
Fourteenth-century seat of the podestà in the lower village, with podestà coats of arms set into the façade.
Riserva Naturale Abetone
Mixed silver fir and beech forest that gave the pass its name (abete = fir), with trails along the watershed ridge.
Chiesa di San Bartolomeo
Romanesque parish church in Cutigliano, the older religious building in the commune.

When to visit

Best months · Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

December through March is the ski season, when the village fills with Florentine and Bolognese weekenders and the lifts on Val di Luce run from morning to dusk. Snow cover varies by year and the season has been shortening; warmer winters leave the lower stations dependent on snowmaking. June through September is the second season: hiking on the watershed, the silver fir forests cool against the lowland heat, and the alpine flowers on the open ridges. April, May, October and November are the quiet shoulder months. Many hotels close. The pass road stays open most of the year, and the Piramidi del Granduca in early-morning autumn fog are the photograph of the place.